Root-cleaning machine.



A MAGUIN. ROOT CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4,1909.

Patented Apr. 18, 1911.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

A. MAGUIN.

ROOT CLEANING MACHINE. uruouron FILED NOV.4,1909.

1911. 2 sums-sum: 2.

Patbnted Apr. 18,

"FIG j,

UN TE 4 S A ES- PATENToF I E.

ILL-FRED manner as, an am rmcni'ia'ssiqnon mo socm'm norms I'BEBES, or vrrmr- N armors, rmncn, Am) socmrit Aroma nns nranussnmnm's A. ua'eum, or cmims, nsn'n'mucn,

dlliclwmitmay concern." t J. Be it known that I, ALFRED MAGUIN, a

citizen of the Republic ofv France, and a resident of Charmes, by La Fere, Aisne,

France, have invented a new and useful Root-Cleaning Machine, which 'machine is fully set forth in the following specification.

The present invention relates ,to a rbot- I cleaning apparatus which has for its object to free beet-s or other roots employed-in sugar-making or in distilling, from foreign bodies, the presence of which-causes fserious disturbances'in the workirfgof the factories. These foreign bodies are of various kinds:

First, stones, pieces of metal and-other hard substances which are accidentally mixed with the roots at the time of loadin upon-the transporting vehicles. Such har bodies when they reach the root cutter along with the roots are the cause of serious damage to the parts of this-machine, and so bring about more orless protracted stoppages. I Secondly, there are the. ligneous and fila-. mentary bodies, such as splinters of wood, weeds, root-leaves, wisps of straw, etc, the

' presence of which among the roots produces clogging of the blades serving for the-cut-,.

tin of the latter and necessitates their frequent dismounting, which, entails loss' of time and irregularity in the "output of the root-cutter and therefore in the'entire' oper I ation of, the factory.

Lastly, the arrival at the rooacutter "of arysmall-rootlets which have been broken 0 1 n the washing apparatus or ixi'the .dif-

ferent stages of treatment to which the roots are subjected, result a more or 'less abundant-production-of rasping's or shav--' ings prejudicial to the satisfactory carrying V out of the operation of'extractingthesugary material. I

' With. the root-washing and stone-remov- The aoeoinpan. g drawings rep resent by way of example a construction tofcarrying out the invention.

Q noo-r-cmianme macrimn? Specification otletters la'tent Application aide November 4,1909. Serial n. 525,297.

' porting medium Figure l is a; vertical section of'the apparatus, Fig. 2"is a plan. Fig. 3 is ani-end ,view and Fig. 4 isa view on a larger scale 'ofthe device serving for the removal of the ligneo'us and fibrous. bodies of lowdensity and also of thefsmall rootlets; p

As will bescen from the drawings (Fig 2 and 3) tllOlIPIflllfltllS consists of three di f mf'erentparts, A, B, C- In the part A are eliminated all hardbodies of density'greater ;than that ofwater. The part B serves to remove the"- beets-or large roots and to convey thcmto the root-cutter after they have been freed from all foreign bodies, light or heavy, 'Lafstly',' the part G serv'es'for the removal of ligneous, fibrous bodies'of low density and small rootlets while, however, allowing thewater which'is the only trans- -employed in the apparatus, to return and cdmplete its circulation.'

The part A comprisesa-sh'eet-metal tank divided into two compartments or cells 1, 2 by a vertical partition 3. In the'tank and at the lowerpart is placed a tube 4 of sheetmetal forming the casing of a' screw, propeller 5 carried by theshaft 6 which receives its move'ment'from a suitableitransmiss'on by means of the pulley 7. In the Patented Ap'r'.18,.19 1 11.-

cell. are placed at the level 8. (Fig. 3 the bars of a grill9. The wall 10 of the cell 2 is cut away weir' The milk being filled with water and the;

down the point 11 to form a screw propeller given a suitable rotary.

movelr'ient, the 'water'isdrawn from the cell .1into the cell 2- assing up through thegrill. 9'and then owing ove'r'the weir 11 in into the part'B. The roots delivered'inthe cell 2 with all their accompanying impur1- ties are taken up by the ascending current of water which they-meet above the grill 9 owing-to their density, which-is nearly equal to that of water',.and to theircomparati'vely large bulk,--,they rise inthe direction of the watercurrent and pass with it -into the part B. 3 In. thismovement they have left behind all the bodies of small volume and greater density, which havefallen through the grill iftheir dimensions allow, or which 'remain above if'their dimensions 'are' greater than the intervals between the, bars. 'All the floatingbodies, wood, straw, leaves,'weed s,'

" articles of coke, et c., have been passed into with the roots; it remains, theretore, to separate them from .the latter. ThlS putpose-isi-fulfillcd by the apparatus B; this most convenient manner in relation to the whole installation; the spiral-conveyer ro-'.

beets moving in the open water and rise.

tates in a perforated metal cylinder 15, incloscd in another reservoir 16- of imper'forate metal forming a water-reservoir. A sheetiron chute 17 connects the parts A and B, and a conduit 18 connccts*'-ehe reservoirlti of the part Ii lo the cell 1 of the'part A. A plate 19 covers a portion of the spiral conveyer-shaft,-in such a manner that the upper edge of this plate lies above the highest water level'of the apparatus, a

The roots carried forward with their light impurities by the watercurrent produced in the part A by the propeller 5, descend with the water down the chute .17 into the trough of the conveyer. The roots are taken up bythe spirals 13 and are raised by the latter. to the point of delivery, while the floating bodies detach themselves; from the to the surface. A portlon of the water delivered from thefccll 2 passes through. the perforations of the cylinder 15 and returns by the conduit 18 to the suction compart- V ment 1. The remainder of the water continues its movement .over the weir 20 formed in the wall of the chute 17 and passes into the third apparatus C, taking with it all the bodies floating on the surface and a.

volyes a she t 23 operated by a inionand gear wheel and the intermediate s aft 24,re-

preceding ap )aratus B. In the vessel 21 re-" ceiving its movement from the pulley 25 secured upon the shaft 6. The shaft 23 serves as support to a drumformed of sheet-iron disks 26, helrl'apart by washers so as to leave intermediate spaces of from 6 to 15 milli meters: The c1 rcumfcrence of these disks is furnished with notches in the shape of 'saw' teeth 27 (Fig. 4). Between the 'di'sks'is placed a wonb formed of curved plates 28,-

and fitted together so that each tooth corresponds to a space between two disks. This comb'is tired and its inclined outer portion is extended as'n chute '29. .A' pipe 30 connccts the vessel 21. to the conduit 18 which,

returns the water to the cell 1. The drum.

being set in slow rotary movement in the direction of the arrow, rccclves'upon its periphery all the floating bodies and smallf terminating until they meet with the teeth of the comb 28 which ejects them outwardly by tliej-chute 29. The water delivered against the drum finds an ample passage through the metal disks in the s ace comprised between the edges of the'ciute '22 and f the distance pieces separatingthe. disks. The spaces between the disks being constantly cleared by.

the teeth ofthe comb, offer to the-water as regular as possible a passage,'whieh is impossible to obtain with the arrangements hitherto employed. A regulating device 31 arran ed between the reservoir 16 and the conduit 18 allows by being opened more or.

passed into this apparatus; if the speedof the current is slightly increased by suitably closing' the cook 31 somewhat larger [rootlets wil be eliminated in their turn.

'ing bodies, only the smallest rootlets will be' Consequently,'by varying the supplies of water by the cock 31, rootlets of any given size can be eliminated from the beets, which action afl'ords for certain factories a very considerable advantage.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as such and desire to secure by Letters Patent is z- V 1. In a root-cleaning a' aratus, aj'liquid holding receptacle provided with two partitacle and dividing the receptacle into a pretions terminating below the top of the recep- .10

liminary washing compartment, a discharge v compartment for floating refuse and an intel-mediate root separating compartment,

means for delivering liquid to the first named" compa"rtmentto overflow. into. the succeedmg compartments, :1 root conveyer having its receivin end in the intermediate 1 com artment and p leve there n, and means in the discharge compartment for removing floating refuseanddividing the receptacle into a, preliminary root washing,com artment, a dislow the top of the receptaclelow the normal liquid.

charge compartmentfor eating refuse and Y an intermediate root separating compart-g ment, af'conduit connecting the discharge.

compartment with the washing compartlating liquid through said system, avalved conduit connectin the intermediate compartment with said conduit for deflecting flow of liquid from the dischargeeompart- .12 ment and means in said conduit for circa ment and a rootfoonveyer having its receiv: ing end in the intermeidiate com artment and below the normal 1quid leve therein,

' and means in the discharge compartment for 6 removing floatin refuse from the liquid. Y 3. Ina root-c caning ap aratus, a liquid holding reoeptacle provided .with a verticalpartition dividing the. same into a rootwashing compartment and a water reservoir, 10 a;screw propeller in said partition, an imperforate cylinder in communication'with said washing chamber and said reservoir, :1 screw conveyer having a perforated casing located in said cylinder and a chute for 5 directing bodies discharged from the wash-- ing chamber into said conveyor.

4. In a root-cleaning apparatus, compris-Y ing a plurality of liquid communicating compartments containing a liquid comprising a root cleaning compartment, a compartment for separating roots from floating refuse and a compartment for separating said floating refuse fromqthe liquid, a'horizontal grating in said first named compartment for separating bodies denser-than the liquid from bodies lighter than said liquid, .means for circulating said liquid through said compartments and root removing means and refuse removing means associated with said two @last named compartments respectively.

5;. In a root-cleaning apparatus, a receptacle adapted to conta n a moving body of liquid, a revoluble shaft in -said receptacle provided with a plurality'of serrated disks equally-spaced apart and a combprovided with curved teeth lying between said disks and cooperating with said teeth to remove bodies floated into the path of said disks fthe second of said compartments of said tank,.a horizontal grill insaid second compartment, said grill being above the delivcry of said screw-propeller and receiving the roots together with their accompanying impurities, a weir formed in a wall of said "second compartmenu'a trough, a chute conmeeting said weir to said trough, a spiral elevator 1n said trough, said elevator collecting roots from said trough and delivering them at, a higher level, a second Weir one-the side of said trough opposite to said second compartment, a vessel to which said second 1 Weir delivers, a drum rotating in said vessel, said'drum consisting of, a plurality of disks having saw-tooth peripheries and intermediate spacing means, a comb secured beside said drum, said comb having teeth fitting in the spaces'between'said disksya' chute delivering fromthe apparatus the material removed from said drum by said. comb, and means for regulating the return flow of water from said trough and from said vessel I to said first compartment of said Water-tank.

- In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. a

ALFRED MAGUIN. Y Witnesses:- p

Domain 'CAsAmNGA, .MIGUEL ZEROLO. 

